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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. date — the fruit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kid — child
  13. deal — to handle
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. stock — goods
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com